Back in 1984 director Taylor Hackford released a love triangle thriller starring a young, handsome Jeff Bridges, an ever-so-creepy James Woods, and the stunning Rachel Ward.
What distinguished "Against All Odds" to me, besides Ms. Ward of course, was the underrated car chase between Woods in a Ferrari 308 GTS and Bridges in a 1984 911 Cabriolet.
This was before CGI and the video-game car chases of today. These were two real cars racing down Sunset Boulevard at speed -- and no accelerating the film up, either.
I immediately thought of this movie when we picked up our new old 1985 911. I think it's one of the great car chases in movie history, and it was one of the factors that initiated my lust for the 911.
I haven't had the chance to try our 911 yet, but when I do, perhaps I'll take it on Sunset.
And find me a 308.
Hit the jump to watch the chase down Sunset Blvd. (Warning: profanity in the video.)
Albert Austria, Senior VE Engineer
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,1985 Porsche 911
Tell me if this is coming from left-field, but I think we need some luxury in our Long Term Road Test Fleet.
And not just Equus / 528 / 7-Series / S5 luxury, but serious old world, old money luxury. Like this 1990 Bentley Turbo R I found on eBay for $18,980.
Like everyone else, I start my eBay time-wasting with old sports cars like our Ferrari 308 and Porsche 911 but then I start to go crazy. From there I move to '55 Chevys -- and only '55 -- and then to Buick Roadmasters then to Dodge Magnum SRT8s and then to early 90's luxury cars. I can't explain it. Just how I roll.
Maybe it's the vavlue; when these cars were new, they were in the $195,000 range and now you can have one for less than the price of a new Hyundai Elantra. Complete with the 296 horsepower / 486 torque 6.75 liter V8, 15-inch wheels, retuned suspension, sport seats and enough leather and wood to justify the leveling of the rest of the rain forests. Plus, Jay Leno's got one.
Vote in the poll (look to your right) and explain your answers here: Do you want to see what $20,000 worth of Luxury sedan is really like to live with, or should we just stick to sports cars that make us feel cool, but are generally slower than a Nissan Juke? (Disclaimer: no promises, this is still an informal poll.)
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,1985 Porsche 911
I had missed the initial walkaround given to the editors about the 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera -- it was mandatory before getting behind its wheel due to all its "quirks" -- but after watching editor James Riswick's handy newbie tutorial video (loved that!) and getting an introduction from editor Mark Takahashi, who said he "likes it uh lot," I felt a bit more prepared to pilot this 26-year-old car.
I was intimidated by its lack of power steering and speedometer function as well as its finicky shifter, but I reasoned that if I could drive our '84 Ferrari 308 I could handle this. And I liked it wayyy more than the Ferrari. (I'm only comparing the two because they're the only two sports cars from the '80s that I've driven.) Sure, it doesn't have power steering but then again it didn't feel like I was trying to arm wrestle Andre the Giant like the 308 did. OK, that's an exaggeration but you get my drift. I sweated buckets every time I drove the Ferrari.
And all those warnings about the precise way to shift the 911 -- "putting it in 1st gear feels like dislocating a cat's leg," cringe! -- only made it seem more terrifying to deal with than it actually was. Piece of cake! If anything it feels like when your weird friend dislocates his shoulder and pops it back in. He's OK after that. Not terrifying at all.
Anyway, for all its idiosyncrasies, I could get used to this car. It's definitely easier to imagine as a daily driver than the Ferrari.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,1985 Porsche 911
When I jumped into our 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata it was deja vu all over again. Hadn't I seen this cockeyed gearshifter somewhere before? Oh yeah, that '84 Ferrari (pictured below). Fortunately our '97 Miata isn't as high-maintenance, plus it's actually fun to drive so I'll cut it some slack.
I asked Project Miata JayKav what was the deal with the crooked knob (which he lifted from the previous Project '94 Miata). Apparently when he put it on straight, it was too tight so he nearly couldn't take it off again. "I think it's been overtightened way too many times," he said.
Good thing there's that handy-dandy picture to the right of the gearshifter in case anyone needs reminding of the layout of the gears. Pfew! Heh.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 130,122 miles
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
I saw this Ferrari Dino a couple days ago on the freeway. It made me think back to our long-term 1984 308 GTSi that we had. Even though I never had much love for the 308 at the time, I'll admit it'd be interesting to have another used Ferrari in the fleet again. While I suspect that it'll never happen (for a cost and been-there-done-that reason), it's still fun to think of what other used Ferrari would be cool. A Dino would neat, or maybe a Testarossa, which would be cheaper. Or maybe a Lamborghini Countach so we could relive our adolescent Cannonball Run fantasies.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Fast as our 2009 Dodge Viper SRT-10 is, I have to slow down the world to enjoy it.
When I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, its seating position, limited visibility, sluggish off-the-line response and lack of cabin lighting drive me up the wall. Yet, when I just forget about getting somewhere (like the office), and just sit back in the semi-reclined driver seat, take my time with the gearchanges, drop the windows to let some the engine heat out of the cockpit, and leave the worries of the law-abiding world behind, the Viper really does satisfy.
Driving it this morning, I thought of our old 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi. I liked that car best when I didn't care about where I was going, rather only about the road I was going on.
The Viper's V10 can't even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Ferrari's sweet, mid-mounted.... nope, can't type it. But you know, it sure is easier to get in and just drive the Viper. You don't have to bleed the cooling system if it's been sitting for a while; all the electronics work; all the cylinders are firing. For now at least, starting up the Viper is as turnkey as starting up a Honda Fit.
And tomorrow I will take advantage of that and take the Viper on a good long drive. I'm thinking Cerro Noroeste.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 14,074 miles
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,2009 Dodge Viper SRT-10
While the 2007 Mini Cooper S, 2008 BMW 135i, 2008 Pontiac G8 GT, 2009 Dodge Challenger and 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi didn't get enough votes to make it into the top five, each were clearly liked. One could also argue that these are more real-world favorites, as cars like the GT-R and R8, as cool as they are, are out of financial reach for most people.
Some of you might be wondering what happened to the 2005 Ford GT in all this. Well, it received -- ahem -- no votes. Zip. Not even owner and Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer voted for it. When queried about this, Karl said he wasn't going to waste a vote on it because he knew not enough editors drove it to make it a memorable choice. He was right. So, a TKO, but a KO nonetheless for the otherwise iconic GT.
And with that, we conclude our Editors' Favorites. Hope you found it fun!
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole,2007 Mini Cooper S,2008 BMW 135i,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
After a heated bidding war on Ebay, our Ferrari 308 finally sold for an even $30,000. Alex from Texas was the lucky winner, but as excited as he was about the purchase, he was smart enough to know that a 1,000 mile road trip in June wasn't the best way to enjoy the Ferrari's charms.
He sent a truck to pick it up today and we were sad to see it go. Although not everyone on staff fell in love with the Magnum-mobile, it won over more than a few doubters during its year of service in the long-term fleet. We'll have a full wrap up later, but for now, this is your last look at our 308 in California.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 53,986 miles
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole is now up for auction on Ebay. We've enjoyed it for a year now and loved (almost) every minute of it. Don't miss your chance to own a clean example of an iconic car.
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
After months of performing full-body prostrations in front of their desks, the gods of the long-term fleet finally relented last night and gave me the keys to our soon-to-be-sold Ferrari. First impression: Magnum P.I. was riding
low. An Integra coupe towered over me when I pulled alongside it, as did a 997 911 Turbo...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
It's already a known fact that I love driving our 308. Yeah, it's not the most comfortable way to travel, and parallel parking with the manual steering takes more time and muscle than I'm used to. But to me, this is driving distilled to its essence. Hell, I was even moved to write a little poetry about it in one of my posts: http://66.160.188.111/.eea5723.
On a less romantic topic, I felt it was time for a fuel mileage update:
-- Best tank to date: 19.82
-- Worst tank to date: 8.95
-- Lifetime average: 13.9 mpg.
EPA's numbers for a 1985 308 (same car as our '84) -- revised using their more accurate, current methodology -- stand at 9 city / 15 highway / 11 combined. So we're beating their combined figure by almost 3 mpg!
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 53, 828 miles.
Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
I won't soon forget last night's drive in our Ferrari 308 GTSi. I was in a good mood, the 308 had a full tank of gas (I'd made sure of it the day before, twisting and turning the pump every which way to ensure a complete fill), and the night was refreshingly cool. We went for a drive up the coast.
Traffic was light, but the Ferrari got noticed anyway, mainly by an aggressive guy in a 997 911. Obviously, I'd have had no chance of keeping up if he laid into the throttle, but he hung around, no doubt enjoying the car's body lines and the happy sounds it makes following a properly executed heel-and-toe downshift. And that gets at one of things I like about this car: Smooth shifts are all your doing. You're not relying on fancy electronics to help you out.
Later, after the 911 had gone, I let the engine rev to its 7,800-rpm redline before shifting up. I know this isn't a quick car by today's standards, but there's still a definite sense of speed. And the sounds, of course, are one of a kind. The powerband is special, too. There aren't many engines left on production cars that peak like this -- the V8 feels something like the inline six in our
E46 M3
but takes a more meandering path.
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
And were you to
buy
our 1984 Ferrari 308, you, too, would know the pleasure of staring at it through a window while eating pizza. Just by association, this not especially well-cared-for, base Mini Cooper looks like something I might want to drive.
I've been driving the Ferrari around town this week and learned something about myself in the process. Obviously, you don't buy a 25-year-old car if reliable transportation is the goal. But probably the biggest reason I haven't warmed more to the 308 is that I'm always in too much of a hurry. I never allow enough time to get places. And this means I become impatient with the Ferrari when I have to squat down to unlock its doors or muscle its steering in a tight parking lot. If I ever want to own an old car, a serious change in attitude and lifestyle will be necessary.
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
In six weeks our 12-month test of a 24 year old Ferrari 308 will be over. And that means only one thing: Our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole is for sale.
If you remember we paid $28,000 for it and have laid out $5,000 in repairs and mechanical upgrades. If you want to buy it, email me at Insideline.editor@edmunds.com...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
A few weeks ago, I misplaced my beloved Quicksilver sunglasses, probably the nicest pair I have ever owned. A couple days later, my beloved neighbor Susan lent me the above pair of DKNY shades. And they ROCK. They have a slight red/pink tint that give the world a look of perennial sunset. Things are sharper, as with all good shades, but a tiny bit redder. And because I love them so much, Susan let me keep 'em...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Since it's Earth Month, I figure I should share a "recycling" story. When we bought our 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole it came with these snazzy sheepskin seat covers. But the covers were then promptly ejected from the car and lived in our supply closet for many moons until Managing Editor Donna DeRosa and I decided to make good use of them. We put them on our desk chairs to make sitting at our desks a little cozier...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
The above photo illustrates the only way to drive a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi: top down. It is so much a part of the whole Ferrari Southern California mystique, and in my mind, the only way to go. And practically speaking, I'm 6'1, so my head rubs against the roof and it feels a bit claustrophobic with the top on.
But so much a part of West Los Angeles driving is about the sun, the wind, the smell of the ocean...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Yesterday, I met up with a friend of mine who owns a 1983 Porsche 911SC. We headed into the Sierras on one of my favored Central California roads to drive a classic Ferrari and Porsche on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
It sure beat mowing the lawn.
Some basic comparison specs, brief driving impressions and more pictures follow after the jump.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 52,997 miles
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
What's it like living with a Ferrari 308? I got the full experience yesterday in just 60 minutes.
3:45 p.m.: I've gone to my garage to get something. There's the Ferrari. It looks fantastic in a way that no new, $30,000 car ever could. "Drive me," it whispers. Well, I guess I could shirk out on doing work and run an errand or two...
3:50 p.m.: I've grabbed the keys. Just a quick check of the car before I go. Hmm. There's puddle of fluid under the engine that wasn't there yesterday. Oh, and look, there's a fresh drip, too. Fantastic! I whisper a curse at the Ferrari.
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
Last night I had a little fun with our long-term 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi, at the expense of Vehicle Testing Coordinator Mike Schmidt. You see, I'm kind of a big fella, and pretty furry, so Mike likes to call me "bear."
Well, the joke's on him. Last night I had the keys to our Ferrari, so I broke into the zoo and stole a large grizzly. And let me tell you, the scratches were WORTH IT! The Ferrari was fantastic...
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Categories: 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole
